FAITH UNDER FIRE

Statue of Jesus beheaded, Mary vandalized

'The devil is working overtime'

(DAILY JOURNAL) — VINELAND — A Sacred Heart Church parishioner, pausing for a prayer before a statue of the Blessed Mother, made a grisly discovery just before 8 a.m. Mass Thursday morning.

Someone had hacked the outstretched hands from the statute, still wrapped in a garland of holiday evergreen. The small angels at her sides were beheaded.

The vicious act of vandalism was reported to Sacred Heart officials, who then learned over the course of the day the crime scene extended beyond their property to two miles across town at the grounds of the Divine Mercy Parish on West Chestnut Avenue.